9 o THE PLACE OF SCIENCE IN 



race? No one of those great investigators from Aristotle 

 to J. J. Thomson, according to the ordinary definition of the 

 word, had any "practical" end in view.' Surely there lies 

 a great misapprehension and a great misstatement there. 

 My reading of scientific history tells me, I won't say exactly 

 the reverse, because there are countless cases of most im- 

 portant scientific work having originated in a simple desire 

 for truth and nothing more. At the same time, if you 

 really look into the history of science you will find that there 

 is a very large proportion of the highest, the most important, 

 the most theoretical science, that has arisen from the effort 

 of science to solve practical problems. Take my own science. 

 Who is the greatest man in chemistry ? I think, with all due 

 regard to patriotism, and with the strongest desire to be fair, 

 one would be obliged to say Lavoisier, whose work revolu- 

 tionized chemistry. What was the beginning of Lavoisier's 

 work ? If you inquire you will find it was the desire to 

 improve the illumination of the streets of Paris. The streets 

 were badly lighted and a prize was offered for improvements. 

 He addressed himself, first of all to the construction of the 

 lamps, to the minute construction of the burners, and matters 

 of a mechanical kind. Then he came to think about the 

 question of oil. From that he found the necessity of 

 understanding the process of combustion, and because oils 

 and other fuels were too complex material for investigating 

 the simplest aspect of combustion, he passed to the investi- 

 gation of the effect of fire upon metals. There he made 

 his immortal discoveries and revolutionized chemical science. 

 Throughout his life he was eager to solve the practical 

 problems which he found in his own environment. . I can 

 give you innumerable examples of the same kind. 



Whilst, therefore, I should be among the last persons, I 

 hope, to say a word against dispassionate, disinterested culti- 

 vatioa of knowledge for its own sake ; while I should be 



